Bottle
by JQ-Quinn
Summary: [A.T.O.M. fic, one shot] Hawk finally lets out the emotions he has kept bottled up...


Author's Note: Because someone was going to do it eventually… And yes, I'm expecting flames (if I receive any reviews…).

Warnings: Mild, fluffy Seabird slash, as I've dubbed it. That means boy/boy relationships, but not graphic, and not even a relationship. Just speculation on it. Nasty ending. Speculation on season 2  
Disclaimer: I don't own Alpha Teens On Machines, for obvious reasons. No one would let me near it for some bizarre reason…

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There weren't many times when he though to himself _'What's going on?'_ In fact, it was rare for him to think about a situation unless it was in regards to his potential television career.

Now, however, seemed to be one of them.

Ever since he'd fallen into his team-mate's arms (literally) whilst chasing a sword wielding maniac, Hawk had been dealing with a few problems. If he were honest about it, he had started feeling that way when he was forced to share a room with the surfer.

It was a strange feeling. It was sort of… fuzzy, causing his face to turn bright red and grow warm, making his stomach churn in excitement and confusion, turning him into an unspeaking idiot. He was desperate to spend as much time with the other teen as possible, but he was too afraid to approach him about it.

Instead, he continued to fight with Shark, to harass him and their fellow team-mates – all just for a few words filled with passion (even if it was anger), or a reason to touch him (even if he was being knocked on his ass by a punch). He even went as far as to compete for girls he didn't even find attractive, just to see the fire in his blue eyes spark up.

_I don't know how to say this…_

He found himself taking interest in new things, spending less time on himself. He was glad that Lioness had offered to teach him to swim, enabling him to try his hand at surfing ("Anything you can do, I can do better," Hawk had said. Shark had laughed himself hoarse after the redhead fell off his board in a most spectacular fashionfor the seventh time in a row. Hawk fancied the laugh sounded like a waterfall, which it didn't). In return for the lessons, he offered Shark some time on his jet-wings (Lioness had remarked that she never received such invitation. Fortunately, it was also during the week in which he was not allowed to speak with her).

The days went by and everyone carried on the same as before. They trashed vehicles, Mr Lee paid for them, and Paine made a new threat to Landmark City… A monotonous cycle. Usually, Hawk would have been up and out of there as fast as the wind, but he stayed – not because he felt obliged to help Axel finish what he had started (a duty Hawk took very seriously, despite his apparent carelessness over the situation), but so he could be near Shark.

_I… think that… maybe… I like you more than just a friend…_

Even once Paine had been locked away, they all stayed together, moving into Mr Lee's building while the Aquatics Centre was fixed up. When it turned out that the man only had four rooms available, Hawk fought for his right to his own room, rather than drive himself crazy by sharing once again (both from spending so much time with his crush and from said crush's tidiness issue).

He did, however, lose that fight.

The team spent many a day testing more vehicles, occasionally battling Samantha Paine and each new boyfriend she came across ("Slut," Lioness had remarked under her breath as they encountered Paine's twelfth partner, a 22 year old known as Trigger).

They stuck together through thick and thin, became as close as family (with Daddy Manning and Mommy Leone), and even after their first encounter with their rebellious clones, they managed to stay a close-knit team.

_I wish… I had said it sooner…_

Then it happened.

It was a routine mission – attempt to take down whichever clone had decided to run rampant through Landmark City on that day. It happened to be Crey, King's enhanced replica. His incredible strength, rivalling that of a mighty elephant, was challenging them to the extreme. He had been raiding a car warehouse when they arrived, and had promptly thrown random chunks of metal at them. The team had weaved, dodged and ducked their way closer and closer to the abomination, Shark finding it the easiest as agility was his forte. Lioness, close to him, was pushed away as part of the ceiling caved in – distraction enough for Crey to throw a large, sharp shard of metal and pierce cloth and flesh. Crey had ripped the metal from the body, grinning manically as the blood gushed forth from his abdomen, the rest of the team looking on in frozen horror.

_I wish… I had told you to your face…_

Crey escaped as the teenagers were too preoccupied with their failing comrade, who was too far gone to even notice their actions. Hawk had run straight to the blonde, clutching him tightly to his chest and yelling at the top of his voice.

"Not yet! Don't you go anywhere – don't leave us!"

He was pulled away from the bleeding male by Lioness, who wrapped her arms around him and cried with him, both despairing in the knowledge that it was far too late. Axel and King had rushed him to a hospital, but he had died before they were halfway through the journey.

_I guess it's too late…_

The burial wasn't sombre, as one would expect. His mother, Helen, had said that it was not the Sharker way.

"We come into the world and bring smiles to our family's faces. We do the same thing on the way out."

Even so, the burial at sea had still been more depressing than the teen would have liked. Hawk imagined that he would have poked and prodded everyone to try and bring a smile to their faces, and when that failed he would have done something so stupid it rivalled that of Flesh. Maybe he would have tried his impersonations, which were particularly horrible.

Eventually Hawk was the only one left on the deck, staring out into the depths of the water, clutching a lily. A smile made its way to his lips, and as he threw the flower to the sea, he thought only of what could have been. A time when he could have been Zach, rather than Hawk.

_I'll never know your answer…_

_A.T.O.M._

Shark collapsed to the ground, the blood loss enough to make him confused, dizzy. He stared at his hands, clutched against his stomach in an instinctive and desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. He watched in fascination as the red liquid came forth from between his fingers, and he felt hands grab his shoulders, cling to them. He recognised the touch – not as strong as King or Axel, but not as gentle as Lioness… No, he knew he was being held by Hawk.

For some strange reason, that thought made him smile inside. He lay there, pondering over the odd emotion and, just before the darkness claimed him, he thought of the time the redhead had fallen into his arms.

_This feels… nice._

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I don't think it made much sense, or that it flowed properly, but hey – I'm a newbie at this sort of thing. While I'd prefer it if you didn't toast me, I'm awaiting your thoughts. Review? 


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